orded to the
Elephant. In the first place, he is physically superior to the Lion.
An Elephant attacked by a Lion could dash his antagonist to the ground
with his trunk, run him through with his tusks, and trample him to
death under his feet. The claws and teeth of the Lion would make no
impression of any consequence on the Elephant's thick skin and massive
muscles. If the Elephant was to decide his claim to the throne by dint
of fighting for it, the Lion would find himself an ex-king in a very
short time. But the Elephant is too peaceful to assert his right in
this way--and, what is more, he does not suppose that any one could
even imagine a Lion to be his superior. He never had such an idea
himself.

But besides his strength of body, the Elephant is superior in
intelligence to all animals, except the dog and man. He is said by
naturalists to have a very fine brain, considering that he is only a
beast. His instinct seems to rise on some occasions almost to the
level of our practical reasoning, and the stories which are told of
his smartness are very many indeed.

But no one can assert that the Lion has any particular intelligence.
To be sure, there have been stories told of his generosity, but they
are not many, and they are all very old. The Elephant proves his
pre-eminence as a thinking beast every day. We see him very
frequently in menageries, and we can judge of what he is capable. We
see the Lion also, and we very soon find out what he can do. He can
lie still and look grave and majestic; he can jump about in his cage,
if he has been trained; and he can eat! He is certainly great in that
respect.

We all know a great deal about the Elephant, how he is caught and
tamed, and made the servant and sometimes the friend of man. This,
however, seldom happens but in India. In Africa they do not often tame
Elephants, as they hunt them generally for the sake of their ivory,
and the poor beasts are killed by hundreds and hundreds so that we may
have billiard-balls, knife-handles, and fine-tooth combs.

Rut whether the Elephant is wanted as a beast of burden, or it is only
his great tusks that are desired, it is no joke to hunt him. He will
not attack a man without provocation (except in very rare cases); when
he does get in a passion it is time for the hunter to look out for his
precious skin. If the man is armed with a gun, he must take the best
of aim, and his bullets must be like young cannon-balls, for the
Elephant'